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Luka Sulic, who has played the cello since he was 5, talks about music the way an artist talks about painting a canvas.
When listeners hear the music he and musical partner Stjepan Hauser create as 2Cellos, he hopes they see "the change of colors" in the music.
"We play with a lot of nuances, and I hope people appreciate that," Sulic said ahead of the duo's show Friday at the Maverik Center in West Valley City. "Our live show is about the experience, the energy, the passion, and having fun and enjoying it. Our live performance is completely different, and it's very visual. We play with so much energy, so listening is not enough. We are a whole package, a whole experience."
The Croatian duo burst onto the musical scene in 2011 with a YouTube video of their take on Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal," which has more than 18 million views. One of their latest efforts is a cello interpretation of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck," which has garnered the eyes and ears of more than 57 million viewers. They recently released their third album, "Celloverse."
Listeners won't hear them play a Taylor Swift or Justin Bieber song. Instead, the duo focus on classic rock and pop songs, and mashing up genres is something they take pride in, Sulic said.
"We always want to do something unique and combine it with a different genre — rock with classical, metal with classical, dance with classical," Sulic said. "We always try to create an original and unique mashup and make a unique video — sometimes funny, shocking or provocative. We pick something that is a really great song and make something special of it."
The two are able to use the bodies of their cellos to create percussion, and they can use their bows to sound like screaming electric guitars. That versatility is one of the characteristics that drew Sulic to the cello.
"Cello is such a diverse instrument. When we're in the studio, we experiment with those sounds. You can do so many different things with it — hit it and create different sounds like a drum or you can pluck it. It sounds more powerful than guitars. There are so many possibilities."
Though 2Cellos have basically been on a nearly five-year tour, they are still able to create new songs. When Sulic and Hauser listen to a song, they can immediately identify whether it will work on the cello. Then, the two men improvise in the studio and begin figuring out the arrangement. Some songs happen fairly spontaneously, but many take a few months to piece together, Sulic said.
"It's a long process," he said. "We put a lot of thought into our arrangements."
The two play off each other well. Growing up, the two often competed against each other in Croatia, but they always remained friends.
"We've always had this healthy rivalry, and we still do to this day," Sulic said. "But it's great, because it motivates us and pushes us to grow and be better and better." —
A cello duo that plays classic rock and pop songs on cello.
When • Friday, April 22, 8 p.m.
Where • Maverik Center, 3200 Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City
Tickets • $35 to $55; Smith's Tix